Courses of Study
Sections
An interdepartmental program Social Justice and Social Policy
Last updated: November 4, 2010 at 3:22 p.m.
The concern with social justice speaks to the core educational commitments of Brandeis. This program does not seek to promote a particular ideological agenda, but rather to spark creative thinking about complex social problems. It carries the search for norms and principles into the wider arena of practical experience. By providing models for critical reflection, it challenges students to articulate their own value commitments in a spirit of constructive debate.
David Cunningham, Chair
(Sociology)
Richard Gaskins (on leave spring 2009)
(American Studies; Legal Studies)
Laura Goldin
(American Studies; Environmental Studies)
Anita Hill
(Heller School)
Thomas Shapiro
(Heller School)
Marion Smiley
(Philosophy)
Melissa Stimell
(Legal Studies)
Andreas Teuber
(Philosophy)
formal prerequisites for other courses.
B. Students must complete any four elective courses from those listed below. Electives are grouped into topical fields, but students may choose courses from any group. No more than two electives from the Heller School or from any single department may be counted toward program requirements, except for the foundation course.
C. Either (1) an internship approved by the SJSP internship director and the successful completion of the related SJSP 89a seminar, which is usually offered in the fall semester; or (2) successful completion of LGLS 161b (Advocacy for Policy Change), SOC 89a (Internships for Community Action and Social Change), SOC 182a (Applied Research Methods), or WMGS 89a (When Violence Hits Home). Internships undertaken for other majors or minors will not fulfill this requirement. For option (1) above, the internship experience and the internship seminar combined count as one academic course.
D. No more than two courses may be double-counted for this minor and for any particular major.
E. A passing letter grade must be obtained in each course taken for the program. Pass/fail grading option is not allowed. Students must achieve a GPA of at least 2.00 in all courses for the program.
Courses of Instruction
Courses of Instruction
(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students
SJSP
89a
Social Justice, Social Policy Internship
This is an experiential learning course. To obtain an internship for the fall term, students must discuss their placements with the SJSP internship instructor by April 1.
Supervised internship in a social justice, social service, social policy, or social research organization. Students will meet as a group and will complete research assignments. Usually offered every year in the fall semester.
Ms. Stimell
SJSP
98b
Social Justice and Social Policy Independent Research
Prerequisite: SOC 123b or permission of the program director.
Guided readings and research on an independent topic that builds upon and integrates the particular course work completed in the SJSP program. Research may be directed by a member of the program committee or by another faculty member with the approval of the program director. Usually offered every semester.
Staff
Social Justice and Social Policy: Core Courses
SOC
155b
Protest, Politics, and Change: Social Movements
[
ss
]
Utilizes case studies of actual movements to examine a variety of approaches to contentious politics. Covers collective behavior, resource mobilization, rational choice, and newer interactive models. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Cunningham
Social Justice and Social Policy: Research Internship
LGLS
161b
Advocacy for Policy Change
[
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. This hands-on course invites students to address concrete social problems through public policy reform. It provides background in theories, advocacy skills, networks, and key players that drive the legislative process. Focusing on policy change at the statehouse level, students engage with elected officials and community organizations to advance key legislation affecting social welfare, health, education, and economic justice. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Stimell
SJSP
89a
Social Justice, Social Policy Internship
This is an experiential learning course. To obtain an internship for the fall term, students must discuss their placements with the SJSP internship instructor by April 1.
Supervised internship in a social justice, social service, social policy, or social research organization. Students will meet as a group and will complete research assignments. Usually offered every year in the fall semester.
Ms. Stimell
SOC
89a
Internships for Community Action and Social Change
This is an experiential learning course. In this weekly three-hour seminar, students learn to become social change agents through eight-hour per week internships in community organizations, course readings, and class discussions. The course considers social change at the biographical, relational, organizational, community, society, and global levels. Early registration is encouraged. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Shields
SOC
182a
Applied Research Methods
[
qr
ss
wi
]
Provides hand-on training in social science research methodology, covering issues related to research design, data collection, and causal analysis within the context of a large-scale collaborative research project. Students will operate as a member of a research team with responsibility over a component of a broader project tied to real-world social justice initiative. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Cunningham
SOC
182aj
Applied Research Methods
[
qr
ss
wi
]
Provides hands-on training in social science research methodology. It assumes no prior knowledge of the research process, and covers issues related to research design, data collection, and causal analysis within the context of a large-scale collaborative research project. Covers both quantitative and qualitative approaches, including statistical, comparative-historical, interview, and archival methods. Students approach their methodological work as a member of a “research team,” with responsibility over a component of the class’ broader project. Requires students to coordinate their efforts with colleagues and community partners to identify research questions, define the data necessary to answer those questions, gather and code that data, and begin the process of analysis. A component of the class will employ the statistical software package SPSS, which students can download for free from the LTS website. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Cunningham
WMGS
89a
When Violence Hits Home: Internship in Domestic Violence
This is an experiential learning course. Combines fieldwork in domestic and sexual violence prevention programs with a fortnightly seminar exploring cultural and interpersonal facets of violence from a feminist perspective. Topics include theories, causes and prevention of rape, battering, child abuse, and animal abuse. Internships provide practical experience in local organizations such as rape crisis, battered women's violence prevention, and child abuse prevention programs. Usually offered every fall.
Ms. Hunter
SJSP Electives: Foundational Frameworks
AAAS
158a
Theories of Development and Underdevelopment
[
nw
ss
wi
]
Humankind has for some time now possessed the scientific and technological means to combat the scourge of poverty. The purpose of this seminar is to acquaint students with contending theories of development and underdevelopment, emphasizing the open and contested nature of the process involved and of the field of study itself. Among the topics to be studied are modernization theory, the challenge to modernization posed by dependency and world systems theories, and more recent approaches centered on the concepts of basic needs and of sustainable development. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Nyangoni
AMST
60a
The Legal Boundaries of Public and Private Life
[
ss
]
May not be taken for credit by students who took AMST 187a in prior years.
Examine civil liberties through landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases. Explores confrontations between public interest and personal rights across four episodes in American cultural history; post-Civil War race relations; progressive-era economic regulation; war-time free-speech debates; and current issues of sexual and reproductive privacy. Close legal analysis supplemented by politics, philosophy, and social history. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Gaskins
BUS
10a
Functions of the Capitalist Enterprise
[
ss
]
Prerequisite: BUS 6a. BUS 6a may be taken concurrently with BUS 10a.
Introduces the internal complexity of modern businesses and the various roles they play in society. First examines the internal workings of firms--marketing, operations, finance, and other functions. Subsequently, the relationships between businesses and their context--the economy, social issues, and government are studied. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.
Ms. Banerjee, Mr. Bayone, Mr. Canella, Mr. Carver, Mr. Reed, and Ms. Wang
HS
110a
Wealth and Poverty
[
ss
]
Examines why the gap between richer and poorer citizens appears to be widening in the United States and elsewhere, what could be done to reverse this trend, and how the widening disparity affects major issues of public policy. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Shapiro
LGLS
121b
Law and Social Welfare: Citizen Rights and Government Responsibilities
[
oc
ss
]
Should U.S. welfare policy protect those in need and should the government have the responsibility to do so? Explores the legal implications of recent debates and changes in social welfare policy at federal and state levels, concentrating on welfare reform, child welfare, and disability welfare. Examines statutes, landmark cases, historical literature, and their practical effect on the individual in order to challenge the assumptions underlying our policy and to create better solutions. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Stimell
LGLS
130a
Conflict Analysis and Intervention
[
oc
ss
]
Examines alternatives to litigation, including negotiation and mediation. Through simulations and court observations, students assess their own attitudes about and skills in conflict resolution. Analyzes underlying theories in criminal justice system, divorce, adoption, and international arena. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Stimell
PHIL
13b
The Idea of the Market: Economic Philosophies
[
hum
]
Historical survey of philosophical assumptions in the defense and critique of market capitalism, starting from Adam Smith's views on value, self, and community. Explores philosophical alternatives in Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Dewey, and Nozick, including debates on justice and individualism. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Gaskins
PHIL
20a
Social and Political Philosophy: Democracy and Disobedience
[
hum
wi
]
Focuses on the relation of the individual to the state and, in particular, on the theory and practice of nonviolent resistance, its aims, methods, achievements, and legitimacy. Examines the nature of obligation and the role of civil disobedience in a democratic society. Explores the conflict between authority and autonomy and the grounds for giving one's allegiance to any state at all. Examples include opposition to the nuclear arms race, and disobedience in China and Northern Ireland and at abortion clinics. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Teuber
PHIL
111a
What Is Justice?
[
hum
]
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or political theory or permission of the instructor.
What is justice and what does justice require? The course examines theories of justice, both classical and contemporary. Topics include liberty and equality, "who gets what and how much," welfare- and resource-based principles of justice, justice as a virtue, liberalism, multiculturalism, and globalization. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Smiley
POL
10a
Introduction to Political Theory
[
ss
]
Open to first-year students.
Examination of classical political texts and modern writings for insights on central problems of political discourse, such as power and authority, human nature, freedom, obligation, justice, and the organization of the state. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Yack or Staff
POL
15a
Introduction to International Relations
[
ss
]
General introduction to international politics, emphasizing the essential characteristics of the international system as a basis for understanding the foreign policy of individual countries. Analysis of causes of war, conditions of peace, patterns of influence, the nature of the world's political economy, global environmental issues, human rights, and prospects for international organizations. Open to first-year students. Usually offered every semester.
Mr. Art or Mr. Chase
SJSP
103b
Introduction to Social Policy: Frameworks and Analysis
[
ss
wi
]
This is an experiential learning course. Provides and introduction to social policy, frameworks and analysis, and criteria for evaluation policy options. Topics include quantitative and qualitative techniques for policy analysis and contemporary social problems: poverty, aging, disability, health care, early childhood development, and housing. Provides experience using policy frameworks and analysis techniques to think about social problems, analyze policies intended to address them, and suggest alternatives. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Lorenz
SOC
111a
Political Sociology
[
ss
]
Social and institutional bases of public life (social capital, interest groups, movements, communities, parties, urban regimes, collaborative governance) and relationships to politics and policy at local and national levels. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC
193a
Environment, Health, and Society
[
ss
wi
]
This is an experiential learning course. This course draws on sociological perspectives to examine two key questions: (1) How does social organization enter into the production of environmental health and illness? and (2) How do scientists, regulators, social movement activists, and people affected by illness seek to understand, regulate, and intervene in relationships between the environment and human health? Usually offered every year.
Ms. Shostak
SJSP Electives: Dynamics of Discrimination and Inequality
AAAS
82a
Urban Politics
[
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. Examines urban politics in the United States from the early twentieth century to the present. Topics include urban political machines; minority political participation; the evolution of American suburbs; and racial, economic, and political inequities that challenge public policymaking. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Mapps
AAAS
114b
Race, Ethnicity, and Electoral Politics in the United States
[
ss
]
Explores the role that racial and ethnic politics play in American political campaigns and elections. Readings provide historical, theoretical, and empirical overviews of racial and ethnic politics in four contexts: political parties, presidential elections, congressional campaigns, and state legislative contests. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Mapps
AMST
102a
Environment, Social Justice, and the Role of Women
[
oc
ss
wi
]
This is an experiential learning course. Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.
This community-engaged course involves students first-hand in the legal, policy, science, history and social impacts of current environmental health issues challenging individuals and families and communities today, with a particular focus on low-income, immigrant communities and the profound and unique roles played by women. Students will engage directly in the topics through field trips, visiting speakers and discussions with stakeholders themselves. They also will address the issues by collaborating in projects with local organizations, and assisting low income residents in Waltham at the Tenant Advocacy Clinic.Usually offered every semester.
Ms. Goldin
AMST
102aj
Environment, Social Justice, and Empowerment
[
oc
ss
wi
]
Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.
This community-engaged course involves students first-hand in the legal, policy, science, history and social impacts of current environmental health issues challenging individuals and families and communities today, with a particular focus on low-income, immigrant communities and the profound and unique roles played by women. Students will engage directly in the topics through field trips, visiting speakers and discussions with stakeholders themselves. They also will address the issues by assisting low income residents in Waltham at the Tenant Advocacy Clinic, and collaborating in projects with EPA, DEP and local organizations such as Healthy Waltham, the Waltham Family School, Waltham Family YMCA, Jewish Family and Children's Service, Joseph Smith Community Health Center and others. Offered ast part of JBS program.
Ms. Goldin
ANTH
156a
Power and Violence: The Anthropology of Political Systems
[
nw
ss
]
Political orders are established and maintained by varying combinations of overt violence and the more subtle workings of ideas. The course examines the relationship of coercion and consensus, and forms of resistance, in historical and contemporary settings. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Ferry
LGLS
120a
Sex Discrimination and the Law
[
ss
]
Traces the evolution of women's rights in the family, in employment, and in the reproductive process, as well as constitutional doctrines. Examines gender inequalities and assesses if and how the law should address them. Legal cases studied emphasize how law reflects society. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
NEJS
152b
Anti-Judaism, Anti-Semitism, and Anti-Zionism
[
hum
ss
]
A historical survey of the three major forms of hostility toward the Jews from classical antiquity to the present. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
SOC
1a
Order and Change in Society
[
ss
]
An introduction to the sociological perspective, with an emphasis on an analysis of problems of social order and change. Topics include gender, work and family, poverty and inequality, race and ethnicity, democracy, social movements, community, and education. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Cadge or Mr. Conrad, Mr. Cunningham, or Mr. Sirianni
SOC
105a
Feminist Critiques of Sexuality and Work in America
[
ss
]
An intermediate-level course which counts toward the completion of the joint MA degree in sociology and women's and gender studies.
Critically evaluates the predominant theoretical approaches to understanding the oppression of women and the dynamics of sexism, racism, and classism within the sex/gender system. Uses these perspectives to explore issues in women's lives--particularly sexuality and work. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hansen
SOC
112b
Social Class and Social Change
[
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. Presents the role of social class in determining life chances, lifestyles, income, occupation, and power; theories of class, inequality, and globalization; selected social psychological aspects of social class and inequality; and connections of class, race, and gender. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Fellman
SOC
147a
Organizations and Social Change
[
oc
ss
]
Innovation and change in communities, school systems, social services, corporations, nonprofits, federal agencies, and police. Dynamics of democratic, feminist, multicultural, and community organizations. May be combined with internships and action research. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Sirianni
WMGS
5a
Women and Gender in Culture and Society
[
ss
]
This interdisciplinary course introduces central concepts and topics in the field of women's and gender studies. Explores the position of women in diverse settings and the impact of gender as a social, cultural, and intellectual category in the United States and around the globe. Asks how gendered institutions, behaviors, and representations have been configured in the past and function in the present, and also examines the ways in which gender intersects with many other vectors of identity and circumstance in forming human affairs. Usually offered every fall and spring.
Ms. Fox, Ms. Freeze, Ms. Lanser, or Ms. Singh
SJSP Electives: Historical and Comparative Perspectives on Social Justice
AAAS
80a
Economy and Society in Africa
[
nw
ss
wi
]
Perspectives on the interaction of economic and other variables in African societies. Topics include the ethical and economic bases of distributive justice; models of social theory, efficiency, and equality in law; the role of economic variables in the theory of history; and world systems analysis. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Nyangoni
AMST
104b
Boston and Its Suburbs: Environment and History
[
ss
]
Advanced seminar follows the development of the cultural landscape of Boston, Waltham and the western suburbs from glacial retreat to urban sprawl. Employs ecology and history to better understand and address contemporary environmental issues. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Donahue
AMST
125a
History of United States Feminisms
[
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. An investigation of the development and politics of women's rights in the United States. Explores the internal and external coalitions and conflicts at the nexus of race, ethnicity, sexuality, and religion. Examines the transnational shift to organizing for human rights. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Antler and Ms. Hansen
AMST
185b
The Culture of the Cold War
[
ss
]
Addresses American political culture from the end of World War II until the revival of liberal movements and radical criticism. Focuses on the specter of totalitarianism, the "end of ideology," McCarthyism, the crisis of civil liberties, and the strains on the pluralistic consensus in an era of anti-Communism. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Whitfield
AMST
188b
Louis Brandeis: Law, Business and Politics
[
ss
]
Brandeis's legal career serves as model and guide for exploring the ideals and anxieties of American legal culture throughout the twentieth century. Focuses on how legal values evolve in response to new technologies, corporate capitalism, and threats to personal liberty. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Gaskins
ENG
68a
The Political Novel
[
hum
wi
]
How do novels change and how are they changed by politics? From the satires of Eastern Europe (Kafka and Milan Kundera, Koestler's Darkness at Noon) to fiery American calls to action on racial issues (Uncle Tom's Cabin and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man); from utopia to postcolonial disaster (Things Fall Apart). Film screenings included. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Plotz
GECS
160a
In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Global Encounters
[
hum
]
Traces the experience of German exiles in different parts of the world. Addresses issues of identity, linguistic displacement, problems of integration, (post) colonial encounters, anti-Semitism and xenophobia, nostalgia, and the experience of those who eventually returned to Germany. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. von Mering
HIST
181b
Red Flags/Black Flags: Marxism vs. Anarchism, 1845-1968
[
ss
]
From Marx's first major book in 1845 to the French upheavals of 1968, the history of left-wing politics and ideas. The struggles between Marxist orthodoxy and anarchist-inspired, left Marxist alternatives. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Hulliung
NEJS
29b
Slavery, Women, and Religion
[
hum
]
Slavery is the most extreme form of power that one human being can exercise over another. Religion aims to express humanity's highest ethical aspirations. How, then, does religion support slavery? Are enslaved women treated differently than enslaved men? Do slave-holding women exercise their power differently than slave-holding men? To answer these questions, female slave narratives, pro-slavery biblical interpretation, American slave religion, and biblical, early Christian, and early rabbinic statutes and teachings are examined. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Brooten
POL
158b
Comparative Perspectives on the Law and Politics of Group Rights
[
ss
]
Prerequisite: POL 11b or POL 14b.
The creation of new group rights for disadvantaged populations in democratic states through constitutional reform and affirmative action, and the legal and political dilemmas raised by efforts to implement these rights. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Klausen
RECS
149b
Russian Modernism in: Culture and Arts
[
hum
]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.
An interdisciplinary immersion in the period, emphasizing the connections between historical and artistic trends and employing prominent theories of culture. Focuses on major figures, works, and events in film, literature, the performing and visual arts, and political, philosophical, and religious thought. Usually offered every fourth year.
Mr. Powelstock
WMGS
105b
Feminist Theories in Historical and Cross-Cultural Perspective
[
ss
]
Prerequisite: Students are encouraged, though not required, to take WMGS 5a prior to enrolling in this course.
Examines diverse theories of sex and gender within a multicultural framework, considering historical changes in feminist thought, the theoretical underpinnings of various feminist practices, and the implications of diverse and often conflicting theories for both academic inquiry and social change. Usually offered every spring.
Ms. Smith
SJSP Electives: Diversity and Difference: Culture and Practice
AAAS
125b
Caribbean Women and Globalization: Sexuality, Citizenship, Work
[
ss
wi
]
Utilizing perspectives from sociology, anthropology, fiction, and music to examine the relationship between women's sexuality and conceptions of labor, citizenship, and sovereignty. The course considers these alongside conceptions of masculinity, contending feminisms, and the global perspective. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Smith
AMST
118a
Gender and the Professions
[
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. Explores gender distinctions as a key element in the organization of professions, analyzing the connections among sex roles, occupational structure, and American social life. Topics include work culture, pay equity, the "mommy" and "daddy" tracks, sexual discrimination and harassment, and dual-career families. Among the professions examined are law, medicine, teaching, social work, nursing, journalism, business, and politics. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Antler
ANTH
144a
The Anthropology of Gender
[
nw
ss
wi
]
Anthropology majors have priority for enrollment.
An examination of gender constructs, sexuality, and cultural systems from a comparative perspective. Topics include the division of labor, rituals of masculinity and femininity, the vexing question of the universality of women's subordination, cross-cultural perspectives on same-sex sexualities and transsexuality, the impact of globalization on systems, and the history of feminist anthropology. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Lamb or Ms. Schattschneider
BISC
7a
The Biology and Culture of Deafness
This is an experiential learning course. Does NOT satisfy the school of science requirement. Does NOT meet requirements for the major in biology.
An exploration of the biology, sociology, and language of the deaf. Looks at mechanisms of hearing and different causes of deafness. Medical models of deafness are compared with sociological and cultural concepts of deafness. The course also introduces students to the language of the deaf community in the United States, American Sign Language (ASL). Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Morris
COML
130a
Poetic Voices of Protest
[
hum
]
Poets are citizens, lovers, artists. Discusses major poems and prose by Whitman, Baudelaire, Rilke, T. S. Eliot, Anna Akhmatova, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and others celebrating American nationhood, and protesting world war, moral chaos, or Soviet dictatorship. Topics include myth, self-assertion, love and intimacy, decadence, ethics, despair and faith, a mother's voice. Students present a poetry slam. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Kaplan
COML
165a
Reading, Writing, and Teaching across Cultures
[
hum
wi
]
This is an experiential learning course. Contemporary literary representations of literacy, schooling, and language from a cross-cultural perspective. Students also analyze their own educational trajectories and experiences with writing and reading. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hale
ECON
69a
The Economics of Race and Gender
[
ss
]
Prerequisite: ECON 2a.
The role of race and gender in economic decision making. Mainstream and alternative economic explanations for discrimination, and analysis of the economic status of women and minorities. Discussion of specific public policies related to race, class, and gender. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Brainerd
ED
158b
Looking with the Learner: Practice and Inquiry
This is an experiential learning course. Does not satisfy a school distribution requirement--for education studies core course credit only. Lab fee: $40.
Inquiry and exploration in the visual arts have the capacity to develop the creative problem solving essential to both teaching and learning. Students will work in different media, examine interpretations of art, reflect in journals, and teach children about contemporary art. Students will complete a twelve-hour practicum as part of this course. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Dash
ENG
151a
Queer Studies
[
hum
]
Prerequisite: An introductory course in gender/sexuality and/or a course in critical theory.
Historical, literary, and theoretical perspectives on the construction and performance of queer subjectivities. How do queer bodies and queer representations challenge heteronormativity? How might we imagine public spaces and queer citizenship? Usually offered every second year.
Mr. King
HISP
160a
Culture and Social Change in Latin America
[
fl
hum
]
Prerequisite: HISP 109b, or HISP 110a, or HISP 111b, or permission of the instructor.
We will examine the relationship between art (including literature, film, and fine arts) and society in Latin America during the twentieth century. We will use significant examples drawn from three major socio-historical eras: the political and artistic vanguards of the 1920s (with particular attention to the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath); the 1960s and the cultural significance of the Cuban Revolution; and the 1990s period of transition to democracy and emergence of identity and minority-based social movements, with a renewed significance of artistic and literary languages. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Rosenberg
HIST
171b
Latinos in the U.S.
[
ss
]
History of the different Latino groups in the United States from the nineteenth century when westward expansion incorporated Mexican populations through the twentieth century waves of migration from Latin America. Explores the diversity of Latino experiences including identity, work, community, race, gender, and political activism. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Arrom
HSSP
192b
Sociology of Disability
[
ss
]
In the latter half of the twentieth century, disability has emerged as an important social-political-economic-medical issue, with its own distinct history, characterized as a shift from "good will to civil rights." Traces that history and the way people with disabilities are seen and unseen, and see themselves. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Gulley
NEJS
148b
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Jews and Christians: Sources and Interpretations
[
hum
]
Introduction to the classical Jewish and Christian sources on same-sex love and on gender ambiguity and to a variety of current interpretations of them, to the evidence for same-sex love and gender fluidity among Jews and Christians through the centuries, and to current religious and public policy debates about same-sex love and gender identity and expression. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Brooten
PHIL
108a
Philosophy and Gender
[
hum
]
Prerequisite: PHIL 1a or PHIL 17a.
Explores the place of gender in the works of particular Western philosophers (e.g., Kant, Hume, and Rousseau) and uses the tools of contemporary analytic philosophy to address questions about gender equality, sexual objectification, and the nature of masculinity. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Smiley
SJSP Electives: Social Justice in Action: Policy Approaches to Social Problems
AMST
55a
Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in American Culture
[
ss
]
May not be taken for credit by students who took AMST 169a in prior years.
Provides an introductory overview of the study of race, ethnicity, and culture in the United States. Focuses on the historical, sociological, and political movements that affected the arrival and settlement of African, Asian, European, American Indian, and Latino populations in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Utilizing theoretical and discursive perspectives, compares and explores the experiences of these groups in the United States in relation to issues of immigration, population relocations, government and civil legislation, ethnic identity, gender and family relations, class, and community. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Davé
AMST
191b
Greening the Ivory Tower: Improving Environmental Sustainability of Brandeis and Community
[
oc
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.
In this hands-on course, students design and implement environmental sustainability initiatives to benefit the campus and the local community. Students analyze the environmental impact of human activities within the existing legal, political, and social structure; learn basic research strategies for auditing and assessing the effect of these activities; and contribute to the overall understanding of the environmental impact of the Brandeis community on its surroundings. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Goldin
ANTH
142a
AIDS: Science, Society, and Policy
[
ss
]
An examination of the AIDS pandemic from cross-cultural and anthropological perspectives. Topics include biosocial approaches to disease, epidemiology of transmission, national and international institutions, prevention and treatment, and ethical issues; case studies from the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
BIOL
17b
Conservation Biology
[
sn
wi
]
First- and second-year students should contact the instructor before enrolling in this writing-intensive course.
Considers the current worldwide loss of biological diversity, causes of this loss, and methods for protecting and conserving biodiversity. Explores biological and social aspects of the problems and their solutions. Usually offered every year.
Mr. D.L. Perlman
ECON
57a
Environmental Economics
[
ss
]
Prerequisite: ECON 2a.
Investigates the theoretical and policy problems posed by the use of renewable and nonrenewable resources. Theoretical topics include the optimal pricing of resources, the optimal use of standards and taxes to correct pollution problems under uncertainty, and the measuring of costs and benefits. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Bui
ED
155b
Education and Social Policy
[
ss
wi
]
Examines the various functions that schools perform in a community, with special attention to the intended and unintended consequences of contemporary policies such as special education, desegregation, charter schools, and the standards/accountability movement. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Levenson
ENVS
15a
Reason to Hope: Managing the Global Commons for Peace
[
sn
]
Explores global security arrangements that would tend toward peace within the objective constraints that delimit our options; the laws of physics, energy and food availability, human population, global wealth, geography, weather, and the presence of nuclear weapons. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Tsipis
ENVS
18b
International Environmental Conflict and Collaboration
[
ss
]
A study of the development of international environmental law and policy through a historical lens. Examines how early diplomatic initiatives have--and importantly, have not--shaped the contemporary structure of international environmental relations. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Chester
HS
104b
American Health Care
[
ss
]
Examines and critically analyzes the United States health care system, emphasizing the major trends and issues that have led to the current sense of "crisis." In addition to providing a historical perspective, this course will establish a context for analyzing the current, varied approaches to health care reform. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Altman
HS
120a
Race and the Law
[
ss
]
Explores how race has been defined and used to uphold or undermine the principles espoused in the Constitution and other sources of the law in the United States. Issues discussed range from treatment of Native Americans at the nation's birth to the modern concept of affirmative action. One of our premises is that ideally the law represents the synthesis of the narratives of various elements of a society. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hill
HS
124a
Dilemmas of Long-Term Care
[
ss
]
Fifty million Americans have a disability. What kinds of help do they want? What are the responsibilities of families, friends, and communities to help? Current U.S. approaches to service delivery, financing, and organization are reviewed and alternatives considered. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Leutz
HS
300a
Theories of Social Policy, Social Justice, and Social Change
Develops theoretical perspectives on social policy, social justice, and social change, and a framework for analyzing and developing social policies. Identifies major institutional systems that function in any society throughout human evolution and that are key variables of social policy and social change practice. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Gil
HS
524a
Long-Term Care: A Policy Perspective
One of the most important health policy issues facing the nation is how to finance and provide long-term care for persons with chronic illness and disabilities. Uses historical and political economy frameworks to analyze the origins of current long-term care policies and programs. Topics covered include home care, institutional care, concepts of need, informal care, choice and autonomy, acute care connections, integration, private approaches, international comparisons, and reform options. Primary focus will be on the aged, but other populations with disabilities will be considered. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Leutz
LGLS
114a
American Health Care: Law and Policy
[
ss
]
Not recommended for freshmen.
Highlights how the law affects American health care from patients rights to reform. Traces the evolution of the doctor-patient relationship; explores access issues, including whether health care is or should be a right; assesses the quality of care and the impact of malpractice; and discusses the role of health insurance. Concludes with options and prospects for reform. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Curi
LGLS
124b
International Law and Development
[
nw
ss
]
Surveys public and private forms of international law with special application to developing countries, and to political and social development in the global economy. Examines basic legal concepts of property, contract, and rule of law in the context of national and cultural transformations. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
LGLS
131b
Patient Autonomy: Law, Medicine, and Ethics
[
ss
]
Examines how decisions are made to treat critically ill patients. Ethical and philosophical aspects of the physician-patient relationship, the doctrine of informed consent, "medical futility," "physician-assisted suicide," and "right-to-die" cases will be explored. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Curi
LGLS
132b
Environmental Law and Policy
[
oc
ss
wi
]
This is an experiential learning course. Examines public health and environmental problems, including regulation of harmful substances in our environment, wilderness preservation, and protection of wetlands and endangered species. Explores use of risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis; also considers the impact of political ideologies on legislation and adjudication. Evaluates law's efforts and limitations in protecting public health and the environment. Students also engage with the local community to address current legal issues. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Goldin
POL
108a
Social Movements in American Politics
[
ss
wi
]
Analysis of American mass political movements and their influences on American politics. Topics include the relationship between social movements and interest groups, the evolution of social movements into political parties, and case studies of specific political movements. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Kryder
POL
154a
Seminar: Citizenship
[
ss
]
Liberal theory presumes the progress of history to be, in the words of John Stuart Mill, a gradual "doing away with privilege." Examines the frontiers of social and political justice through readings drawn from literature, political science, and history. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Klausen
POL
158b
Comparative Perspectives on the Law and Politics of Group Rights
[
ss
]
Prerequisite: POL 11b or POL 14b.
The creation of new group rights for disadvantaged populations in democratic states through constitutional reform and affirmative action, and the legal and political dilemmas raised by efforts to implement these rights. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Klausen
SOC
104a
Sociology of Education
[
ss
]
Examines the role of education in society, including pedagogy, school systems, teacher organizations, parental involvement, community contexts, as well as issues of class, race, and gender. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Rockenmacher
SOC
143a
Social Justice and Philanthropy
[
ss
]
Covers philanthropy and its role in American society. Addresses individual, institutional, and societal-level factors that affect philanthropic efforts to impact social justice. Also provides the unique experience of acting as a foundation and making real grants. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Garton
SOC
175b
Environmental Organizations, Networks, and Partnerships
[
oc
ss
]
Environmental movement organizations and strategies. National advocacy organizations, as well as community-based and civic approaches to environmental problem solving. Case studies drawn from watersheds, forests, ecosystem restoration, environmental justice, campus ecology, and the greening of industry. May be combined with internships and action research. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC
176a
Nature, Nurture, and Public Policy
[
ss
]
Examines the impact of heredity or genetic theories of human problems on developing public policy, including the viability and validity of theories and evidence. Historical and contemporary cases such as gender, IQ, mental illness, and alcoholism are studied. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC
177b
Aging in Society
[
ss
]
Explores the social context of aging by using sociological theory, empirical research, and literature. Examines such topics as aging in residential settings, the aging experience of minority groups, health and illness, the economics of aging, gender, work, and retirement. Also examines the definition of aging in other societies in order to understand the contemporary Western response to aging. Contains a field research component. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
SOC
190b
Caring in the Health Care System
[
ss
]
An analysis of the structural arrangements of medical practice and medical settings, focusing on societal and professional responses to illness. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
SOC
191a
Health, Community, and Society
[
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. An exploration into interrelationships among society, health, and disease, emphasizing the social causes and experience of illness. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Conrad